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Option 1: Carrer Benidorm car park
Ten minutes from the old town, taking the climb gently. Altea’s old town is cobbled streets and steps: the car always stays below.
- Free (to be confirmed)
- a 6 min walk from the centre · 457 m
The Altea parking map
Altea has a knack to it, and anyone who knows it parks without any drama: you don’t drive up into the old town (it’s pedestrian, cobbled and steep), so the whole game is picking the right car park below. The two big ones — la Basseta and the Algar river — add up to over 23,000 m² of free space, a 10-minute walk from everything. The one exception is Tuesday morning, when the biggest street market in the Marina Baixa swallows both main car parks at once.
Where to park for free in Altea: the free car parks below the old town
Altea’s paid-parking scheme is in limbo — the old contract was annulled and a new by-law is being drafted — so right now you can park free almost everywhere. One warning that applies to the whole list: on Tuesday mornings the market is on and some car parks close.
Option 2: La Basseta car park (Partida Basseta)
Around 13,500 m² next to the sports centre: Altea’s big one. With one important exception — on Tuesday mornings the market is here and you can’t park.
- Free
- a 7 min walk from the centre · 550 m
Option 3: Avda. La Nucía car park (Foietes)
Handy for catching the TRAM at Garganes. Same warning: Tuesday morning is the food market, so on that day pick another one.
- Free (to be confirmed)
- a 8 min walk from the centre · 587 m
Option 4: Camí de l’Algar car park (by the Algar river)
Around 9,700 m² beside the river: the base for l’Olla beach, the quieter northern end.
- Free (to be confirmed)
- a 15 min walk from the centre · 1108 m
Option 5: Avda. del Port car park (Cap Blanch)
For Cap Blanch beach and the southern promenade, the end with the beach bars and the marina.
- Free (to be confirmed)
- a 16 min walk from the centre · 1207 m
Where to park in a paid car park in Altea
A single paying car park, right by the centre.
Option 1: Carrer Ponent car park
Paid car park right by the centre. The quick option when everything else is full and you don’t fancy circling for half an hour before lunch.
- Paid — rates shown at the barrier
- a 2 min walk from the centre · 133 m
Altea’s blue zone is in transition (and what to do meanwhile)
Almost nobody tells you this: Altea’s paid-parking contract was annulled by the courts and the council is drafting a new by-law with a blue zone and an orange zone — the latter aimed at the seafront and the centre, with concessions for residents and mixed hours (free, paid or residents-only depending on the time of day). Until the new scheme starts, the situation on the street is simple:
- Some streets in the centre still carry the blue-zone signs from the previous scheme (San Pedro, plaça José María Planelles and around the centre, according to local guides).
- The sign and the ticket machine are what count: if the machine on your street is working, buy a ticket; if it’s out of service, park as normal.
- Sundays and public holidays, no charge.
We’ll update this page as soon as the new by-law is in force, with the exact streets and tariffs.
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Tuesday market day: when the rules change
Altea’s street market (one of the biggest in the district) takes over, every Tuesday morning, the two areas where you’d normally park for free: clothes and textiles at la Basseta car park and food along Avenida de La Nucía, from plaça de la Cruz to the Avda. de Valencia junction. Official hours: 8:00 to 14:00 (the textile stalls pack up at 13:30 from December to March).
- If you’re coming TO the market: arrive before 10:00 and aim for Carrer Benidorm or Cap Blanch, or simply come by TRAM: the Garganes stop sits between the market’s two halves.
- If you’re NOT coming to the market: avoid Tuesday morning, or park at Camí de l’Algar, which isn’t affected.
- From mid-afternoon, la Basseta goes back to being the car park it always was.
Where is it easy (and where impossible) to park?
Turn on the “How hard it is” layer on the map:
- 🔴 Old town: no cars — pedestrian and steep. That’s the essence of Altea, not an inconvenience.
- 🔴 Promenade and seafront in summer: full by mid-morning from July to September.
- 🟢 La Basseta and the Algar river: always easy… except on Tuesday morning.
Where to park depending on your plan
For the old town, the viewpoint and the domes
The free parking for Altea’s old town is the Carrer Benidorm car park or la Basseta: leave the car down below and walk up (10 minutes of rather lovely climbing). If you’d rather skip the walk, the paid car park at Ponent gets you as close as it’s possible to get.
For the promenade and the restaurants
Out of season you can park on the surrounding streets; in summer, forget it and walk down from la Basseta (8 flat minutes).
For l’Olla beach
The Camí de l’Algar car park and a short walk. Serious warning: on the night of the Castell de l’Olla (the August fireworks) half the district heads to that one beach — that day, arrive hours early or come by TRAM.
For the Tuesday market
Before 10:00 at Carrer Benidorm or Cap Blanch, or the TRAM to Garganes. The section above has the full plan.
For the harbour and the Club Náutic
The Avda. del Port car park (Cap Blanch) works for the harbour and the southern promenade; on weekdays there are spaces on the surrounding streets too.
While you’re in Altea
The three most booked in the area. They are not the only ones.
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Frequently asked questions
Where can you park for free in Altea?
At la Basseta (≈13,500 m², next to the sports centre), Camí de l’Algar by the river, Avda. La Nucía, Carrer Benidorm and Cap Blanch on Avda. del Port. All of them a 10-12 minute walk from the main sights.
Is Altea’s blue zone working?
It’s in transition: the previous contract was annulled and the new by-law (with blue and orange zones) hasn’t come into force yet. In practice: if the ticket machine on your street is working, pay; if not, park as normal. The signs on each street are what count.
Can I drive up into the old town?
No — it’s pedestrian, and the streets are cobbled, narrow and steep. You park below (Carrer Benidorm or la Basseta) and walk up in about 10 minutes. Honestly, it’s the best part of the visit.
Where do I park on Tuesday, with the market on?
The market takes over la Basseta and Avda. La Nucía from 8:00 to 14:00. That day: Carrer Benidorm, Cap Blanch or Camí de l’Algar, or take the TRAM to Garganes, which sits between the market’s two halves. By the afternoon everything is back to normal.
And on the night of the Castell de l’Olla?
The August fireworks over l’Olla beach draw tens of thousands of people. Camí de l’Algar fills up from the afternoon onwards: arrive hours early, or use the TRAM (l’Olla stop) and forget the car altogether.
What time does the regulated zone stop charging?
With the scheme in transition there are no official hours in force to publish. Under the previous scheme it ran to shop hours (morning and afternoon) with Sundays and public holidays free — but today what counts is whatever the ticket machine on your street says.
Where can I park with a blue badge?
Spanish national law (RD 1056/2014) lets holders of a disabled parking card park in regulated zones with no time limit, on top of the reserved bays. Always display the card on the dashboard. A UK blue badge is recognised in Spain.